What: FIVE fabulous ARCs from 2k9 members

When: 01/08/2009 – 01/24/2009

How: Send an email to The Class of 2k9. See link for details.

Where: http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9/2435.html

• “Masterpiece by Elise Broach – love the relationship between the protagonist, James and the beetle, Marvin. It’s a wonderful story. I bought it for so many of my nephews and nieces this holiday, but did not add it to my own collection (or my son’s).” – Samantha Vamos
• “A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant.  I read it last year and knew I had to own a copy–it’s got everything I like: a girl who wants to be a writer, a great historical setting, subtle political themes…and most important–a love story.  A darn good one.  I asked for this last year for Christmas and I DIDN’T GET IT…so let’s try this again.” – Jaclyn Dolamore
• “The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  It’s a companion to Life as We Knew It, which was the absolutely riveting story of a family struggling to survive a natural disaster.” – Jennifer R. Hubbard
• “I want Diary of a Wimpy Kid. because I stood in the bookstore reading the first page and laughed so hard my teenage son left rolling his eyes at me.  (Apparently I was embarassing.)” – Kathryn Fitzmaurice
• “The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson. I only just discovered Eva Ibbotson this year, but I love her appealing characters and fascinating historical details. Plus, this WWII-era book has a boarding school, folk-dancing, and a daring rescue attempt!” – Deva Fagan
• “I want The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins!  And I’d like an extra hour in the day so I can read more …  ” – Fran Cannon Slayton
• “Melissa Marr’s Ink Exchange…. I’m reading Wicked Lovely right now circling all of the wonderful words.
  Her language is so rich- it’s like a dessert so rich you can only eat a small bit at a time … That girl can write!” – Bettina Restrepo
• “The Book Thief because of its unusual narrator (that would be death himself) and because I have heard so much about it; my curiosity is killing me!” – Jennifer Cervantes
• “I am dying to get Carrie Jones’s Need–I loved her other books, and I can’t wait to see her always-wonderful characters and voice in a fantasy story.” – Megan Crewe
• “My top pick is my very own copy of David Yoo’s Stop Me if You’ve Heard This Before. This author is just ridiculously funny. After reading Girls for Breakfast, which blasted me back to the 80s in a scarily authentic way, I knew then I’d have to get his next book without even looking to see what its about.” – Cynthea Liu

Now get thee to a bookstore, folks, and give a gift to yourself! Don’t you deserve it?

PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0399250439
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Twelve-year-old Paris Pan’s life is a mess. She’s just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris’s new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who’s anyone takes the Dare, and now it’s Paris’s turn.

The Great Call of China

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Speak Puffin
• Release Date: February 19, 2009
• ISBN (paperback): 978-0142411346

Chinese-born Cece was adopted when she was two years old by her American parents. Living in Texas, she’s bored of her ho-hum high school and dull job. So when she learns about the S.A.S.S. program to Xi’an, China, she jumps at the chance. She’ll be able to learn about her passion—anthropology—and it will give her the opportunity to explore her roots. But when she arrives, she receives quite a culture shock. And the closer she comes to finding out about her birth parents, the more apprehensive she gets. Enter Will, the cute guy she first meets on the plane. He and Cece really connect during the program. But can he help her get accustomed to a culture she should already know about, or will she leave China without the answers she’s been looking for?

The Book Trailer